Pretzel Festival in historic Germantown

By Paula Johnson

Photo: The Germantown Pretzel Festival begins at 9 a.m. on Sept. 27

At the entrance to Germantown, a historic hamlet southwest of Dayton, there’s a plaque that reads, “Germantown, Jewel of Twin Valley, founded in 1804 by Philip Gunckel.” It’s a safe bet that Gunckel, a German immigrant, probably enjoyed pretzels. It’s also a pretty safe bet Gunckel never imagined, 210 years later, Germantown would be celebrating its 35th Annual Pretzel Festival. And for the first time this year, The Twisted Pretzel Tour and Biergarten would offer him a chance to have a cold beer to wash those pretzels down.

If you are looking for a hometown family festival filled with a variety of food and entertainment, The Germantown Pretzel Festival fills that bill. Commencing on Saturday Sept. 27 and running through the evening of the 28th, this year’s event has grown to include 135 vendors, a far cry from the 25 booths in the festival’s first year. The event’s steady growth necessitated moving from Germantown’s downtown area to the adjacent Veteran’s Municipal Park. Attendance last year was estimated at 28,000.

This year’s culinary highlights include pretzel sandwiches, smoked BBQ, Asian food and the ever-popular pork chop sandwich. If your taste runs toward the sweet, there’s kettle corn, ice cream, flavored pretzels and deep-fried candy bars. While the event started with a focus on pretzels, there’s clearly much more to be sampled and enjoyed.

That’s twisted

And after all that food, what’s more fun than spinning carnival rides? Yep, the festival’s got those, as well as games for the kids. A range of offerings from regional artisans and craftspeople will feature sewing, jewelry, pottery, toys, woodcrafts, African art and products and locally-made honey. So, while the kids are riding, let the shopping commence!

National recording artists McGuffey Lane headline the Saturday evening entertainment schedule with a 7:30 p.m. country rock performance. The Columbus-based group has toured with the Charlie Daniels Band, The Judds and The Allman Brothers Band. After years of trying, festival entertainment coordinator Jason Cassam was finally able to secure the booking, perhaps due to the newly-renovated and expanded stage set up.

Bluegrass music, high school bands and the farewell performance of The Greasers, a 1950’s doo wop ensemble round out the weekend line up. It’s a fitting finish for The Greasers, as their first performance was at the Germantown festival. So, if you’re a fan of fifties music and ShaNaNa, you won’t want to miss their Sunday 4 p.m. show.

There is even an Interactive Character Performer – that’s a mime to you and me – scheduled for both days. Mark Abbati is most noted for his human statues, convincingly portraying everything from ancient Romans to soldiers. Invited to train with Marcel Marceau, Abbati has won numerous talent awards and has even performed for President Reagan. “He was so popular last year that we booked him for both days this year!” said festival chair Lois Boyd-Mays.

Asked what she thinks is most special about the event, Boyd-Mays continued, “I’ve been with the Germantown Pretzel Festival since the beginning. It feels like homecoming. I’ve watched kids grow up and now bring their own families. It’s really something special!”

Now, if your taste runs less of the shopping, eating and easy listening kind, and more toward testing your physical limits, then this is your year, with the advent of Saturday’s Twisted Pretzel Tour. The brainchild of bike fanatic Steve Mersch and arranged in conjunction with the Germantown Lion’s Club, the tour bills itself as “A Pretzel Party That Thinks It’s A Race!” All levels of skill are welcome, with the Pretzel Ring running for eight miles over mostly level to gently rolling hills. More adventurous riders can choose the Pretzel Rod at 18 miles, or the Giant Pretzel at 38 miles. Both of the more challenging options will lead participants over the scenic Germantown Dam.

All three cross the 1870 Germantown covered bridge, notable as the only inverted bow string covered bridge in existence. Along all routes, riders can sample warm pretzels with various dipping sauces made by area restaurants, and can vote for their favorite to win the Twisted Dip Award. All voters are eligible for a prize drawing by casting a ballot. In keeping with Mersch’s twisted theme, awards to be given to the riders are the “Twisted Middle of the Group” award and the “For No Particular Reason Just Because You’re Here” award.

“Since it’s our first year, we’re not certain, but we expect approximately 500 riders,” Mersch noted.

Ein Bier Bitte!

And when the ride is over, cyclists (or anyone) can cool down by quaffing craft beers in the old-fashioned German-style Biergarten located in the Germantown Public Library parking lot. Six regional craft brewers are participating, showcasing Belgian-style cream ale, Bavarian Hefewiezen and Czech pilsner to name a few. Participating breweries include Warped Wing Brewing Co., Lucky Star Brewery, Star City Brewing, Rhinegest and Yellow Springs Brewing. For those who don’t wish to imbibe, there will be craft root beers and ginger ales available. A flight of four seven-ounce samples will go for $5. Brewers and the UD alumni band will be on hand to chat and entertain from noon–6 p.m. With all proceeds going to charity, Steve Mersch said, “Riding bikes, drinking beer, eating pretzels – it just doesn’t get any better than this!”

I am inclined to think Philip Gunckel would agree.

The Germantown Pretzel Festival will be held Saturday, Sept. 27 from 9 a.m. –9 p.m. and Sunday, Sept. 28 from noon–6 p.m. at Veterans Memorial Playground, 190 W. Warren St. in Germantown. Admission is free and street parking is available. For more information, please visit pretzelfestival.com.

MidPoint Music Fest continues to expose emerging artists

By CC Hutten

Photo: Nashville’s Across Tundras will perform at The Drinkery Friday at 10 p.m.

For 13 consecutive years, Cincinnatians have waited patiently for the last weekend in September for three days of discovering quality music and local cuisine – and to explore a thriving Cincinnati neighborhood, Over-the-Rhine, at MidPoint Music Festival.

The intention of the festival is the spirit of innovation – both for the artist and the consumer, said artistic director of MidPoint, Dan McCabe.

“We want artists who are stretching boundaries, genres, themselves,” he said. “Our customer base revels in the experience of adventure.”

There are 12 venues (and 14 stages) throughout downtown Cincinnati, six of which welcome patrons of all ages. Most shows begin around 8 p.m. and continue into the night, as long as fans and new listeners warrant. Washington Park, a large outdoor venue that was recently added to MidPoint, has been the biggest change and greatest success since Cincinnati’s alternative newsweekly, CityBeat, revamped the festival in 2008.

Daniel Bockrath, CityBeat publisher and owner and coordinator of the festival, said two years ago Washington Park was added to the list of participating venues, taking MidPoint to the next level. While Washington Park hosts some bigger acts, the surrounding venues showcase lesser-known performers, creating an intimate experience for the audience. Attendance skyrocketed from 13,500 people in 2008 to more than 27,000 last fall.

“We continue to invest in the talent we bring to the festival,” Bockrath said. “Agencies refer to us as ‘taste-makers’ because we bring a lot of emerging talent to the scene. In fact, we have a number of bands that played the last few years that are popping up at large-scale festivals like Bonnaroo and Lollapalooza, but MidPoint is an opportunity to see them before no one knew about them.”

In the past, MPMF has showcased many artists that have made year-end lists for Best Album or Best New Artist in music publications like Pitchfork, NME, Filter and Rolling Stone, according to MidPoint’s official website. Some off these now-famous bands include The Head and the Heart, Cut Copy, Lord Huron and Cults.

Though McCabe considers this year’s top tier acts to be the biggest yet, the audience will find, “underneath the larger acts, there’s a better continuity, quality and depth all the way through [the schedule],” he said.

This year, MidPoint welcomes more than 150 acts from seven countries and 57 cities across the region. Headlining at Washington Park are Chromeo, The Afghan Whigs and OK Go, with notable acts like Panda Bear, Real Estate, Young Heirlooms, Motel Beds and Holy Ghost Tent Revival playing in various venues across the neighborhood.

“We’re excited to have Motel Beds,” McCabe said of the Dayton-based band. “They’re one of those pioneering acts, part of a neat pallet of colors on that Saturday night. We feel very lucky.”

Another genre-busting band is North Carolina-based Holy Ghost Tent Revival. In 2012, it played a small show that exploded into one of the most high-energy moments of MidPoint. Frontman Stephan Murray said the band worked hard to get a spot, and despite a few stresses, can’t wait to do it over again and put on an even better performance.

Holy Ghost Tent Revival is using the discovery aspect of MidPoint as an opportunity to showcase how it has evolved in sound and vibe, by dancing between genres and styles.

“People like to add a label to what they’re listening to,” Murray said. “But it’s not a conscious choice on our end. We still fit the mold, but we’re giving the listener something new, something exciting.”

According to Bockrath, electro-funk band Chromeo will put on an epic dance party on Thursday at Washington Park; followed by a special hometown show by Cincinnati band The Afghan Whigs on Friday night; and the innovative indie-pop band OK Go will close Saturday night at the outdoor venue.

However, exploring new music and enjoying favorite artists are not the only opportunities that MidPoint has to offer – before, after, during or in-between shows.

“People experience the festival in different ways,” Bockrath said. “It’s definitely a treasure hunt for people.”

Another highlight of the festival is the best way to travel from venue to venue: Red Bike, a bicycle share that will launch Sept. 22, just in time for MidPoint attendees.

“Find a place to park your car,” McCabe said, “and leave it.”

Larger music festivals may seem to have endless features and vendors – however, what makes MidPoint “uniquely Cincy” is the city of Cincinnati itself.

“You can find open space and fields at other festivals, but you lose that intimacy,” Bockrath said. “We take a lot of pride in that authenticity. … Musicians like to play our festival because they get that. It’s about discovery.”

MidPoint Music Festival will take place in Downtown Cincinnati at Over-the-Rhine Sept. 25–27. Admission for all three days is $79 for advanced all-music-access passes and $179 for advanced VIP passes. One-day passes are $40 each. For more information, please visit mpmf.com.

Thom! Ah-ee-la! Mahrah! (which means, food!, family!, fun! in Arabic)can be expected at the 21st Annual Greater Dayton Lebanese Festival, held this weekend on the grounds of the St. Ignatius of Antioch Maronite Catholic Church.

Whether or not you are at all familiar with the diverse and exotic foods, spirits and traditions imported from the Middle East, the Lebanese Festival is a prime opportunity to sample a range of traditional cuisine, music and memorabilia without leaving town.

All the food is prepared fresh and without the use of dairy or mayonnaise. “The Lebanese versions of baklava and versions of Lebanese food are made to be stored without refrigeration because people in ancient times didn’t have refrigeration,” Zaidain explained. “All cuisine is made from scratch from the church kitchen. Not bought frozen.”

Church Elder Trish Zennie, whose father-in-law was one of the founding members of the Dayton Convention Center’s annual A World Affair, runs the kitchen during the festival’s food preparation and service. “Many of the 60-or-so families from the St. Ignatius parish either have come directly from Middle-Eastern countries such as Jordan, Syria and Iraq, or have family and friends originating from the region,” Zennie said. Thus ensured, the menu is spot-on, capable and authentic.

Church members will travel once a year to the Middle East to bring back memorabilia: key chains, gifts, religious paraphernalia and jewelry boxes.

“Nobody comes back from the Holy Lands empty-handed,” Zaidain said. “Families of parishioners travel to the Middle East throughout the summer to buy items in Beirut and return with a briefcase full of merchandise to sell here at the festival.”

Popular items this year are bamboo trees and lanterns; sunset candles and also hukas, or hip-scarves, according to Zaidain. He recommended checking out the vendor’s booth, called Sippi (“Grandma’s kitchen” in Arabic), which is selling ladies’ and children’s caps, jewelry and T-shirts. Complementary to the food and souvenirs, a mix of traditional and American music and dancing will be provided by accomplished acts such as the St. Ignatius Debbke Troupe, performing traditional line dances, and the belly dancing troupe, Al Hambra, led by the incomparable Conchi Mabson. Other regional dance troupes, including Raks Devi and Egyptian Breeze will perform.

A local American band, called This Side Up, will appear this Friday from 9–11 p.m. “The plan is for guests to enjoy continuous musical performances from opening ceremonies to closing,” Zaidain said.

Zaidain was especially excited to book Al Hambra, a Lebanese solo troupe, as part of traditional Lebanese dance.

“Solo dancing is like belly dancing, but very family oriented,” he said. Although other traditional Lebanese acts are on hand to provide entertainment throughout the festival, Conchi’s group is the main headliner. “Conchi’s belly dancing shows are strict on how to perform and how to dress,” Zaidain said. “Al Hambra is so talented, but sadly, not given much media attention. Belly dancing is big in Lebanon, where they have numerous belly dance competitions.”

Conchi’s husband, Phil, is the resident deejay and emcee. Amusement park rides and games are also available at the festival and are suitable for guests of all ages.

“The most important thing for Americans to realize is there are good people from the Middle East and they have a good time like everybody else,” Zennie said. “These people believe in God. They’re not terrorists.” Among the church’s 60 families are an equal number of people emerging from Jordan, Syria and Iraq. “There is a mixture of Middle Eastern nationalities with family connections,” Zennie said. “The church is open to all people here, and abroad.”

Worship services are conducted by St. Ignatius Pastor Monsignor Ignace Sadek, and are held twice on Sunday. The 10 a.m. mass is taught in English and the noon mass is in English, Arabic and Aramaic-Syric – the original language spoken by Christ.

Zennie said the Lebanese Festival was started to not only raise money for St. Ignatius Church, but to introduce Middle Eastern culture to the Miami Valley, as begun by The World Affair.

The Dayton Lebanese Festival will take place Friday-Sunday, Aug. 22-24 at St. Ignatius of Antioch Maronite Catholic Church, 5915 Springboro Pike (State Route 741). Admission and onsite parking are free. Overflow parking is across the street at Meijer. Hours of operation are Friday, 6–11 p.m., Saturday, 11 a.m.–11 p.m.; and Sunday 10 a.m.–7 p.m. For more information, please call 937.428.0372 or visit thelebanesefestival.com.

Annual outdoor Miami Valley Music Fest

On the first weekend in August, organizers and volunteers from the Miami Valley Music Fest provide a weekend of music and camping for concertgoers from around the area and beyond. The event also provides music fans an opportunity to contribute to the wellbeing of their communities by simply attending the event; showing charitable giving cannot only be easy and accessible, but also fun.

The annual festival, held in Troy, Ohio, combines art and giving, showcasing the region’s best musicians and providing grants to regional charity organizations with the money raised during the event. Since 2008, the music fest has donated over $10,000 to local charity organizations, several thousand hours of service to the Miami Valley and education to thousands of festival attendees on charitable giving.

This year promises another great lineup of regional and national acts, including Anders Osborne, Cincinnati-/Dayton-based roots rockers The Buffalo Killers, Columbus’ The Spikedrivers and more.

According to organizers, the mission of the event is simple: To gather people together to celebrate life in a way that is beneficial to themselves and their community; to promote musical diversity, local artists and charitable giving and to enhance the mind, body and spirit of all who attend the festival.

And with over 40 bands to choose from over the weekend, RV and tent camping offered, and food, art vendors and several charities on site, it is easy to get in the spirit of celebration and charitable giving.

History that rocks

The Miami Valley Music Festival Association, Inc. was conceived in July of 2008, although the seeds for its growth were sown many years earlier. The Miami Valley Music Fest was first organized in the summer of 2006 by Nick Christian. At its conception, the goal was simply to showcase local musicians. The turnout was under 100 attendees, and the net income from the festival just barely overcame the expenses to put it on.

Around the same time, association president Brad Denson, who works by day as a carpenter for Denlinger Construction and plays with Lost on Iddings by night, started Lost Creek Music Review to similar results. A conversation with Christian led the two to combine their attention and efforts.

In 2007, the festival organizers made an important decision: to take an emphasis off of showcasing local music and focus on serving the local community. They achieved this through donating funds raised at the event to a local charity organization.

Following the change in their mission, they began to see the good will boomerang back at them. They received sponsorships from local businesses to help defray the costs of the festival. And the support from sponsors and concertgoers enabled the festival to donate $700 to the Covington Outreach Association and other charitable causes.

“This year’s festival is sponsored by the generous folks at Dayton City Paper, Woodlands Productions and Troy’s Fraternal Order of Eagles,” Denson said.

Shortly thereafter, in July of 2008, Christian decided to create a non-profit organization that would facilitate and organize the growing needs of the festival, with hopes to one day attain 501(c)(3) status. This move proved very rewarding, as the music fest underwent remarkable growth, doubling the attendance and the amount of donations from the prior year. This time, the music fest was able to donate $1,400 to local cancer outreach and facilities.

The snowball of caring and charity continued to grow in scope and size in the following years. Today, The Miami Valley Music Festival Association is a 501(c)(3) public charity organized in Miami County, Ohio with the purpose of hosting music events to raise funds and awareness for local charitable causes. Their “Charity Rocks!” initiative seeks to educate the public on opportunities to give back to the community, and expose younger festival audiences to the public services offered by non-profit organizations.

Volunteering rocks!

According to Denson, putting on a festival of this scope and size requires about an 11-month planning period and the combined efforts of over 100 volunteers. Volunteers accomplish everything from interaction with the media, running security check points and cleanup, running craft activities in the children’s area, organizing parking and spending the weekend in the kitchen, providing all the talent with home cooking.

“During the last two years, festival attendance has doubled,” Denson explained. “Last year, 3,700 people attended, and this year we’re expecting about 1,500 more people than that. Because we understand that without people there is no event, we really strive to present a top-notch production on every stage. It takes every volunteer’s efforts to pull this off.

“The organization also participates in volunteerism and charity during the year,” Denson added.

In the past, the group has organized river clean-ups for the Miami County Park District. In just six weeks, they also organized an instrument drive to benefit the Rafiki Foundation’s AIDS orphanage in Kenya. As a direct result of their efforts, the orphanage received 500 pounds of instruments shipped for free, as well as $5,000. Denson also heard one child who lived at the orphanage and received those instruments is graduating from school and has and an internship with one of Kenya’s biggest music producers.

“I get a tremendous reward in seeing the effects of our collective efforts, not just on our community, but on people on the other side of the world,” Denson said proudly. “I know this kind of example encourages others to participate in volunteerism and inspires them to make a difference in their own ways.”

According to Denson, every year the cream of the crop rises to the top, and this year’s most valuable volunteers have included Melonya Cook, Brad Centers, Todd Oaks, Matt Stager, Shawn Wells, Carean Johnston and Susan Willis.

These acts rock!

Although each of the 40-plus bands and artists performing on one of four stages at the festival are unique and noteworthy in their own right, a handful of special headliners make the festival a must-attend event.

Local boys The Buffalo Killers are having a tremendous year, which includes a headlining set at the music fest. Earlier this year, the hook-heavy rock band visited South By Southwest, hit Los Angeles in May to perform at the second annual Freaks For The Festival and appeared on shows up and down the California coast. The group also provided direct support for the legendary Chris Robinson Brotherhood, where they played a blistering live set to a full crowd at Joshua Tree. During the visit they also appeared on the late night show of host Carson Daly, which aired in early June.

“We are very excited to be playing this event,” Buffalo Killers guitarist Andy Gabbard said. “It seemed like a good opportunity for us to rock out. We are on a roll right now, just doing our thing, and we are gonna bring it. I’m looking forward to watching a lot of groups I haven’t seen before, and expect it to be a lot of fun.”

This year, renowned musician and Alligator Records recording artist Anders Osborne will perform a headlining set on Saturday night. Based out of New Orleans, Guitar Player magazine called him “the poet laureate of Louisiana’s fertile roots music scene.”

Osborne is a familiar name in the jam-band circuit, having toured or played with Keb’ Mo’, Galactic, Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe, Phil Lesh and others. He has performed at one of the nation’s largest music festivals, Bonnaroo, The High Sierra Festival, The Telluride Blues and Brews Festival, the Hangout Festival, WYEP Summer Music Fest, Central Park SummerStage and has been a fixture at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival for many years. His most recent release, Peace, has earned shining reviews from fans and critics alike, adding to an already impressive catalogue of music.

A who’s who of local musicians will also perform a collaborative tribute headliner at the event. Such A Night! A Celebration of The Band’s Last Waltz, is the brain child of local organizer Jeff Opt and brings together the region’s finest players to recreate the final concert of The Band, originally staged on Thanksgiving Night, 1976. In the late 1970s, the concert was made into what is today regarded as one of the best concert films ever, “Martin Scorsese’s The Last Waltz.”

For over a year, the group has been performing with a rotating cast of players. With money raised at their performances, they have been making charitable contributions to The Foodbank, Inc. and other beneficiaries.

First time Waltz-er David Payne, also of local rock band The New Old-Fashioned, said, “I’m excited to be a part of this group that not only pays tribute to one of the greatest bands and one of the greatest concerts of all time, but is also comprised of some of my favorite musicians in Dayton. It’ll be great to perform the show in front of the big festival crowd. I’m also excited because I get to sing ‘The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down,’ which is a great privilege and challenge for any singer; especially if you happen to be the singer in a roots rock band that is just trying his best to live up to the example set by the late, great Levon Helm.”

During their set, Such A Night! will receive a check for $2,000 from Miami Valley Music Fest to donate to a charity of their choice.

Finally, fest veterans The Spikedrivers, whom Denson describes as a “rowdy, honky tonkin’, rockabilly band,” will perform a nearly two-hour headlining set. With the most past events under their belts, the group is what Denson described as Miami Valley Music Fest’s house band.

Also performing during the weekend are Lost On Iddings, The Repeating Arms, Sharon Lane, Jones For Revival, Terrapin Moon, Paige Beller, Jah Soul and many others.

Charity rocks!

The Miami Valley Music Fest provides the opportunity to apply for Charity Rocks! grants online. In order to be eligible, organizations that have been a 501(c)(3) for a year or longer, and provide services to Miami County residents, submitted an application by Monday, July 28.

Charity Rocks! grant applicants will be announced at the 2014 Music Fest, and every charity participating receives an opportunity to present their organization on stage in between band sets during the festival. Voting for recipients of the 2014 Charity Rocks! Grant is democratic, beginning in September 2014 with a new online voting mechanism.

The fans rock!

“One year a storm system blew through during The Spikedrivers’ set and completely destroyed the campground and threatened to stop the event in its tracks,” Denson recalled. “It was the same storm that collapsed stages at similar concerts over in Indiana.”

Volunteers moved the stage to a safer location indoors, were able to jumpstart the festivities again and Denson’s head hit the pillow at 4 a.m. for a quick nap before assessing the damage to the 30-acre property. When he awoke an hour later, he realized fans and volunteers had cleaned and organized the trash and debris the storm left in its wake.

That said, in addition to all the other catalysts needed to foster growth and success for the event, Denson recognizes there would be no event without the fans, who are paramount to its success.

“The people who attend the event are its life’s blood,” Denison explained. “They are the ones who tell their friends, brothers, sisters, mothers and fathers about us. They promote us on social media, and without them there is no Miami Valley Music Fest.”

Miami Valley Music Fest takes place Friday, Aug. 1 and Saturday, Aug. 2 at Eagle’s Campgrounds, 2252 Troy-Urbana Rd. Tickets are $45, which includes the cost for tent camping, and are available from performers or at miamivalleymusicfest.com.

Werk Out Festival returns to Legend Valley

By Zach Rogers

Photo: The 2014 Werk Out Music and Arts Festival will take place Aug. 7-9 at Legend Valley Music Center

For a festival only in its fifth year, the 2014 Werk Out Music and Arts Festival is returning like a titan champ. Having already outgrown its original location at the Zane Shawnee Caverns, Werk Out 2014 is returning to the Legend Valley Music Center in Thornville, Ohio for the third year in a row, on the weekend of Aug. 7.

“This is year five, and it’s going to be our biggest year yet,” Rob Chafin, drummer for The Werks and all-around festival super-director, said. “We’re really excited, and we can tell the fans are excited, too. We can’t wait for everyone to show up and get blown away.”

Spread across three days with over 60 acts playing over 40 hours of live music, Werk Out 2014 is definitely coming in strong. Festival hosts The Werks will treat fans to three nights of top-notch performances, and other headlining acts include Papadosio, Emancipator, Crizzly, Future Rock, Zoogma and Dopapod. There’s also going to be a special tribute to Pink Floyd’s classic Dark Side of the Moon, performed by an unbelievable triple-threat attack from The Werks, Papadosio and Dopapod.

“We thought it’d be fun to collaborate on something together, so we decided to do a take on one of our favorite albums,” Mike Healy, who handles drumming duties in Papadosio, said. “We’re going to trade off on different parts on different songs, and we’ll probably have some double-drumming going on at some point. I’m excited to get up there and jam out together Pink Floyd-style. It’ll be a blast!”

In addition to the many bands gracing the festival’s Main Stages A and B, there will also be an array of acts playing at Werk Out’s Tent Stage, including late-night bluegrass and DJ sets. Besides the music, there’s also going to be a hefty amount of art to indulge in. Live painting and art installations will be abundant, and performance artists of all kinds will be floating around the festival grounds. There will also be a handful of speakers and presenters on deck, providing lectures on a variety of different topics. Want to throw a little exercise in the mix? No worries: try your luck at disc golf, or cool down with some yoga. And don’t forget about all the incredible vendors selling things you just won’t be able to find anywhere else.

“There’s a lot going on, and there’s something for everyone here,” Chafin said. “You get a chance to camp out under the stars, enjoy great music and art with your friends and meet new people along the way. It boils down to people coming together to express themselves and learn from each other. Collaboration is really important at Werk Out.”

For those 21 and over, Werk Out has four words for you: bring your own beer.

“A lot of festivals won’t allow you to bring in alcohol so they can charge you outrageous prices for beer, but we want everyone to have a good time, and everyone always asks for BYOB, so we’re giving it to them,” Chafin said.

For as big of a festival as it’s become, Werk Out had some humble beginnings.

“We always wanted to do our own festival,” Chafin explained, “and we finally got the ball rolling in 2010 out at the Zane Shawnee Caverns. Eventually, we outgrew that place and decided to move to Legend Valley in 2012. It’s been growing every year and we’re just really stoked about it.”

“Rob and The Werks, their whole idea came about because they all had really good relationships with a bunch of bands from across the country that they’d met out on tour,” Healy added. “They saw all these different festivals popping up and everyone was just booking the same acts so they could sell a lot of tickets, and they just wanted to bring their friends out and do a different kind of lineup than what was out there at the time. The whole focus was on playing live music, you know, bands actually rocking out and playing their own instruments, and I think it’s really cool they went that route with it.”

“We try to make sure most of the acts are heavy on improvisation, and we want them to have a good live element as well,” Chafin said.

With a heavy focus on live, improvised music on stage, Werk Out stands out among the infinite number of music festivals that exist today. But that isn’t the only thing that makes it unique.

“I think what makes the festival so unique is the community that’s behind it,” Chafin said. “The fact that it’s produced by the band and we get to hand-select all the artists, and to have everybody working together and getting behind it with such a passion – that’s what sets it apart.”

“I don’t really know of any other festivals happening in Ohio this year that are on the same scale as the Werk Out,” Healy said. “I feel like a lot of things have either left Ohio or taken a year off. If they keep doing it right and pushing that same level of integrity, it’s only going to get better every year.”

The 2014 Werk Out Music and Arts Festival will take place Aug. 7-9 at the Legend Valley Music Center, 7585 Kindle Rd. in Thornville, Ohio. For more information, including ticket options, please visit thewerkoutfestival.com.

20th annual Banana Split Festival in Wilmington

A little more than a hundred years ago, if you’d walked into a soda shop and asked for a banana split, at best you would have gotten an odd look and maybe a chocolate phosphate. Then along came Ernest Hazard, who, in 1907, held a dessert-creating contest at his ice cream parlor in Wilmington, Ohio to attract students from the nearby college during the winter slow season. During what I can only imagine was one of the most mouth-watering competitions of all time, Hazard created the banana split. For two decades, Clinton County has been celebrating Hazard’s invention with its annual Banana Split Festival, the next of which is set to take place this weekend at the J.W. Denver Williams Memorial Park in Wilmington.

Wilmington does have a rival for their claim as the Birthplace of the Split. Latrobe, Penn., claims to have played host to the invention in 1904. The discrepancy remains difficult to resolve, but both towns keep it all in good fun.

“We have bantered back and forth in a friendly ‘disagreement,’” said Debbie Stamper, Executive Director for the Clinton County Convention and Visitors Bureau. “We have agreed to disagree! I heard they are actually holding their first festival in honor of the banana split this year. I guess they know a good thing when they see it!”

And what a good thing it is! Of course, food reigns supreme at this street fair-style weekend, but loads of additional entertainment will keep the whole family amused. There will be a dunking booth, fish pond, pony rides and a petting zoo. Live entertainment will take place all weekend featuring Cheap Thrill, Ben Schaad, Funky G and the Groove Machine, Gary Hill, Sawgrass, Blue Steel, Brent Keith and Passion. A praise and worship with Robin McMillan, Ben Schaad and Katie Smith will be held on Saturday afternoon.

Of course, you will need to indulge in the festival’s namesake. The Make-Your-Own Banana Split Booth attracts sweet-toothers of all ages, and it’s a fun treat no matter how you put together your split. However, if you’re a purist jonesing for tradition, you’ll want to be sure to include the following: a peeled and split banana; a scoop each of vanilla, chocolate and strawberry ice cream; pineapple, strawberry and chocolate sauce; whipped cream; chopped nuts; and a maraschino cherry – or two, maybe three.

Interested in seeing professionals put their own twist on a classic? Check out the creativity of the chefs at the Masters Competition on Saturday afternoon in the Pavilion. Each contestant will put together their own version of a split – the only restriction to their creative vision being they must include at least four original ingredients used by Hazard.

“The chefs volunteer to be in the competition, which has become quite competitive,” Stamper said. “Everything from ‘pizza splits’ to gourmet renditions has been created in the past. One by one, they present their desserts to the judges where they are sampled and rated on taste, appearance and originality. The winner has bragging rights for the following year and gets to have a giant ‘banana’ wood sculpture on display at their restaurant.”

In addition to food, games and live entertainment, there will be a Classic Car Cruise-In on Friday and a Car Show on Saturday. Cruise-in participants could win door prizes and one vehicle will be chosen as the “Banana Split Committee’s Choice.” The car show will be judged and trophies presented to 40 winners Saturday evening. The cruise-in is free, and there is a $10 entry fee for the car show.

The simplicity and general analog qualities of the festival hearken back to the beloved era of the 1950s and 1960s. Festival organizers have recognized the charm of this earnest period in American history and have derived benefit from it.

“I believe the era represents a time when things were simpler and music was universal among all age groups,” Stamper said. “At the festival, the era is represented with a classic car cruise-in and car show, live music from the era and the Banana Split Shoppe where you can make your own banana split.”

The Banana Split Festival had modest beginnings, but steady growth and expanded appeal now draws thousands every year.

“The first event was held in 1995 as a means to raise money for a new playground at the city park,” Stamper said. “It was started by local attorney Judy Gano as a labor of love. The first event was held downtown, but had to be moved to the J.W. Denver Williams, Jr. city park in subsequent years so they could handle the growth. So, this would be the 20th festival!”

The Banana Split Festival will take place Friday, June 13, from 4 – 10 p.m. and Saturday, June 14, from noon – 10 p.m. at J.W. Denver Williams Memorial Park, 1100 Rombach Ave. in Wilmington. Admission and parking are free. For more information about the cruise-in or the car show, please contact Jim Burge at jim.srpm@gmail.com. For a complete schedule of events, please call the Clinton County Convention and Visitors Bureau at 877.428.4748 or visit bananasplitfestival.com.

Cincinnati’s Bunbury Music Festival makes its debut

By Gary Spencer

Music festivals in the United States tend to come and go; very few last and stand the test of time. But if you’re a betting man, you might want to put your money on promoter Bill Donabedian and his brand new alternative music festival venture, Bunbury Music Festival. Donabedian was one of the co-founders of the very successful Midpoint Music Festival in Cincinnati that made its debut in 2002. Although Midpoint was eventually sold to the Queen City’s CityBeat paper, Donabedian still had the itch to go out on his own and do a new music festival that had its own vibe and repertoire and provide an experience that was somehow different from what he had done in the past with Midpoint.

Donabedian’s new enterprise, the Bunbury Music Festival, which takes place at Sawyer Point at Yeatman’s Cove in Cincinnati, has been his brainchild for a couple of years now and is finally ready to make its inaugural debut this coming weekend beginning on Friday and going through Sunday night. The nearly all-day lineups for the three days feature both regional acts like The Seedy Seeds and Wussy as well as headliners like Jane’s Addiction, Weezer and Death Cab for Cutie. I caught up with Bill Donabedian to find out more about what he has up his sleeve for his brand spankin’ new music festival, and here’s what he had to say:

Tell me about the genesis of the Bunbury Music Festival

I always wanted to do a larger, multi-day festival – a festival that was the opposite of MidPoint. In 2009, I decided it was time to start working on it. I can’t believe the fest is now only days away. (Bill Donabedian)

What is Bunbury Music Festival all about? Why might our readers want to make the trip from Dayton to Cincinnati for your event?

Bunbury is an “authentic musical escape.” That is the essence of the brand. I like bands that have worked their way up through the clubs, through touring, and keep songwriting as their focus. I want Bunbury to be one of the best music festivals in the country. Bunbury will never be the biggest, but I want music fans to put Bunbury on their list of “must attend” festivals. And I think I’ve given people from Dayton the ultimate reason to come this year: Guided By Voices. (B.D.)

How did you go about deciding who to get to play Bunbury?

Neederlander did the booking. They’ve done an incredible job. They are well respected and their stamp of approval is what got the big names. I simply gave them my vision – bands that I’d like to see whether we could afford them or not – and then they started finding the bands. We started with the headliners and everything flowed from there. If you look at the headliners, there is a common thread. Jane’s (Addiction) was one of the first alternative bands to go mainstream. Weezer continued that tradition in the mid-90s and early 2000s. Death Cab for Cutie is continuing that tradition. These bands write great, accessible music, but don’t pander to the audience. (B.D.)

Did you make it a point to also have local/regional acts at Bunbury?

Absolutely wanted the local and regional bands. There are locals who have no idea about the bands that are currently working the clubs around town. They are in for a surprise. And for the people from out of town, they are going to be surprised as well. There is unbelievable talent in the Midwest and I’m proud of it. (B.D.)

Why did you decide to have a DJ-specific stage at Bunbury?

I got hooked up with Sean of Self Diploma last year and he booked the DJs on Fountain Square last year. The events were huge. I also saw Perry’s up at Lollapalooza last year. That’s when I realized the crossover and knew I had to have them at Bunbury. I hope we can make it even bigger next year. (B.D.)

Your website describes the festival as “tech-savvy and eco-friendly.” Can you explain?

The excitement around startups and technology grows each year. Music seems to be playing a part in it. We wanted to bring that to the festival. We boiled our eco-objective down to two words: Bee Kind. We do this in two ways. First, every year we will evaluate what we do and try to find ways to do it in a more efficient manner; in ways that will minimize the impact of the festival on the environment. Second, we will encourage our third-party vendors and attendees do the same. Bunbury’s Twitter account has been growing. It’s a great way to answer questions and address comments. We feel more connected to our fans. (B.D.)

What would you like to achieve or see happening with Bunbury in the future?

I want Bunbury to be a respected festival; one of the best in the world. It [Bunbury] should be on people’s bucket list. Words such as “awesome” and “excellent” come to mind. (B.D.)

The Bunbury Music Festival takes place from July 13-15 at Yeatman’s Cove at Sawyer Point in Cincinnati. For a complete list of bands and other information, please visit http://www.bunburyfestival.com/.